In the future, instead of brigades, the military operations of the U.S. Army will be conducted by larger military units – divisions and corps.

This was stated by Secretary of the U.S. Army Christine Wormuth at the U.S. Army Association conference, Defense One writes.

According to her, study and analysis of recent conflicts tells us that brigade commanders must focus fully on winning the close fight.

“To allow frontline leaders to concentrate on the close fight, division and corps commanders will have the responsibility and capability to visualize the larger picture,” Wormuth said.

That means bringing artillery, engineers, and intelligence together at the division level, the minister said.

This focus on larger formations would be part of the U.S. Army’s upcoming doctrine on multi-domain operations.

“To realize this vision and build the Army of 2030, we are transforming our force structure and evolving how we fight. We must do this to prepare for the challenge of large-scale combat operations, strengthen deterrence in the Indo-Pacific, and to be ready if deterrence fails,” the Secretary of the U.S. Army said.

Gen. James Rainey, the new chief of Army Futures Command (the unit responsible for modernization) noted that until now the U.S. Army fought mainly in brigades. Some 4,000 troops were led by a colonel. The brigades were on rotation in Iraq and Afghanistan for a year, where they performed tasks as units at the battalion and company levels.

“The large-scale combat operations leads us to the conclusion that our great brigade combat team commanders are going to be wholly consumed winning the fight they’re in,” said Gen. Rainey justifying the need to move to divisions.

He denied possible criticism about “going back”. In his opinion, the transition to a new structure is a response to current threats.

Rainey also predicted that brigades will be downsized in the future to increase mobility and combat capability.

James Greer, an associate professor at the U.S. Army School for Advanced Military Studies, said a single U.S. Army corps can be comprised of two to five divisions with up to 45,000 soldiers, commanded by a lieutenant general.

The analysis of Russia’s war against Ukraine prompted such considerations and future decisions of U.S. officials, military personnel and scientists.